Down by the oceanside

 The vacaction is nearing its end. And I had decided to spend some days down by the coast as well. Jst for some R&R and some more if I could find it. I got up early and went down to eat.

After a delicious breakfast, I packed my stuff and walked to the louage station. On the way I passed a butcher's shop. I had wanted to take a picture of these, that usually hung outside such shops. But this was the only time I didn't see any people around. Don't why they do that. I mean. There usually hang a complete oxe carcass right beside it. So I guess it is obvious that this is a butchers shop. But anyways.

I was surprised how few were going to Sousse. So I had to sit and wait for quite a while before the louage was full and we could leave. At one point I contemplated just paying for the last few seats. Bt I didn't want to create that "hey, I'm a rich, white guy, and I have money to pay my way everywhere." But eventually, a couple of guys showed up, and we were off. 

Half an hour later, we stopped outside the louage station in Sousse. It was ginormous. And from the map, on the other side of the city from my hotel. 8 km. I have become fond of walking, so I decided to try it this time too. Or catch a taxi if I found it to be too long. But it was a nice walk. And as I closed in on the hotel, it was obvious that Sousse is a tourist destination. Souvenir shops. Western style food. And lots and lots of people wanting to "know me"...

Is Imprial Gifs the new NFT?

I arrived at the hotel, and the receptionist were the impersonation of customer service. Huge lobby. Lots of foreigners. I checked in. And as I was about to pick up my bags, a porter was there to help me carry them. Wow! First time ever! He followed me all the way up to my room on the 5 floor. So I could enjoy the glass elevator.

View from the elevator

After the porter had dropped off my bags, I gave him a tip. And then had a stroll around the area. It felt very much like any typical package tour place. Complete with your local scammers. One guy walked over to me, and then turned to walk the same way as me. Then he turned around and "was surpised to see me". "Hey! I work at your hotel!" Awww. That old line! I haven't heard that one since Ghana. Good memories. I smiled. "Sure you do!". He got the message and split. After him came the "good guy". The one telling me that the last one was a scammer. And where am I from? Having a good time? Just like all scammers. Getting the trust of their marks. After a while, they all gave up. They realized I wasn't having any of their routine. So they left to search for more inexperienced ones. 

All in all a walk down memory lane. 

Don't know what I will do tomorrow. Time will show.

Ragnar

Sea air sniffin

Catwalk in the medina

When I checked in, the receptionist wanted to know when I wanted breakfast. I got the feeling I was again lonely in the hotel. And they didn't want to wait forever with the breakfast. I said 8-ish. And this morning, I kept my promise. And a healthy dose of breakfast was served. And best of all : Freshly made lemonade. It was d-lish! And they had a coffe-maker that made hot chocolate. What wasn't there to like? Half an hour later, I was full and satisfied. And as I left, the other guests at the hotel arrived. A couple from Germany. We exchanged pleasantries before I headed back to my room.

Today, I would check out the medina. I had a quick look yesterday, and found the medina to be enclosed in tall walls. Nice! And today, I went on a long exploration of all the tiny streets. I probably missed half of them. Even though I spent about 5 hours there. Walking back and forth. Through narrow streets barely enough for two people to pass, to those wide enough to sorta let a car pass. If I jumped up on a door frame...

The outer walls and the central mosque:

I mostly just wandered around, enjoying the view, but I also snapped some images along the way. Of narrow streets, and markets.

When wandering around, I noticed two things. One was the sheer number of cats. Or it felt like a great number of cats walking around. Some places it felt like they had ganged up. Like "this is our corner" type ganged up. And when another cat came by, they all started howling at it. And the stranger soon turned and left. I thought it was funny, so I did take a lot of pictures of them. Here is a sample.

This guy was eye'ing a gang behind me.

Checking out the local gang

Chillin in the sun

In addition, I noticed a lot of doors had hands on them. They may have been door knockers. I don't know. I didn't try... But it was interesting to see. I photographed a few of them on a variety of doors.

Tomorrow, I will be heading down to the coast. WIll be spending my last few days by the sea. Or at least, my hotels will be there. I might be heading to other places. We will see where my nose is pointing when I wake up.

Ragnar

Lost and found

Moving on

Today was a lazy day. I only had planned to travel to Kairouan. A small city east of Sbeitla with a magnificent medina. So i got up late. Had a late breakfast. And counting from the number of tables set, I was the ony guest at the hotel this morning. It is low season obviously. 

It was a beautiful day. Sun shining from a blue sky. So after dinner, I decided I would tan a little. I somtimes do as long as I last before getting bored. Which usually is about 5 minutes. I went back to my room and sent some messages to friends and family before checking out of the hotel. 

Since the weather was nice, I opted to walk down to the louage station. It was perfect temperature. The sun shining with the breeze cooling made it just right for me. I enjoy walking. Even with heavy backpack. And I got to see the town one last time before leaving. People talking, shopping and arguing. Kids playing. Cats sleeping. 

Right beside the station, I saw the following street art on a building. Snapped a photo. 

 

I didn't find anyone going to Kairouan, but one driver was going to Sousse and he would drop me off at Kairouan if I paid for the ticket to Sousse. Given the price was just $4, I accepted. After dropping off my backback in the back of the minibus, it was just the waiting game before we would go. I snapped a photo of the market by the station. These markets is THE place to get anything from toenail clippers to evening gowns.

 

After about half an hours wait, the final two passengers arrived, and we were off. An eventless 1.5 hours later, the driver stopped, and a woman got off. He turned and pointed at me. "Kairouan!" he said. I got off and he handed me my backpack. "Taxi sir?" he asked. I shook my head. I had checked the map earlier, and found the louage station in Kairouan was only 1.4 km walk from my hotel. And I assumed he had dropped me off near the station. After the louage had left, I check the map on my phone and found that I was nowhere near the station. In fact, I was 5.7 km away from my hotel. 

After some initial confusion about direction, I was finally heading in the right direction. It ended up being a nice walk. Through very diverse areas. From almost empty areas, to bustling shopping streets to poorer areas to the area where my hotel was. Just a short walk from the medina. It seems to be located in an "upper class" area. I dunno. Just seemed that way. Just a few blocks away from a large hospital.

A super polite, english-speaking receptionist greeted me. He saw my sweaty forehead. "Ah! Weather hot for you! For us, no!" he said and smiled. I smiled back. I guess he assumed I took a taxi. My mouth was dry, and longed for some water.  After dropping my bags off in the room, I emptied the bottle of water I brought. And afterwards I took a quick stroll down to check out the medina. Looking forward to exploring it in more detail tomorrow. But today, I have just been lazying it out at the hotel.

Ragnar

Long walker

A tale of Thala

 

In December 2010, an uprising started in Tunisia. It spread and lasted for weeks. On January 8th 2011, president Ben Ali authorized the use of deadly force. And in five days, 21 people were killed by snipers in Kasserine and Thala. It is unknown why the authorization was given. Whether it was to force people back to their homes, or to provoke a violent response from the protesters, and thus justify heavier crackdowns. But either way, it had the opposite effect. People all over Tunisia took to the street in peaceful protests. 

The army leaders realized that there would be no stopping the protesters and refused to follow Ben Ali's orders. In the end, the president realized that without the army's support, he could no longer stay in power. And on the 14th of January, he fled to Saudi Arabia. 

I wanted to visit Thala, and today, I was supposed to. But that would only be for a brief moment. Not the whole day as planned. I took a louage to Kasserine. I disembarked from the louage and headed for the toilet before looking for the ride to Thala. I heard someone calling on me "Mister! Monsiour!" Assuming it was a seller, I just kept on walking. But he insisted, so I turned around. And he flashed a police ID. "Police! Passport!" I handed him my passport, and he studied it. He tried to ask me some questions in French, but I tried to explain I understood only English. He pulled me aside and continued to ask me questions. And I understood some of the words, so I managed to answer all his questions. As far as I know. He gave me my passport back. And said something that I understood as "dangerous".

I had already read that the border areas with Algeria and Libya were dangerous, so I nodded and responded "OK". I was prepared for that. So he showed me the ticketing window, and I bought the ticket. Then he held me back as he talked to the guy behind the counter. He got a telephone number from him, and called someone. From his actions, I summarized that he was telling the local police about my arrival. 

In the end, he took me to the right louage, and I hopped onboard. And he left the station. It made me wonder how he knew I would be there? Did anyone in Sbeitla tip him off? I decided to ignore it for now. Tried to enjoy the scenery as we ascended into the mountains. But a thought kept nagging me. What if they insist I be escorted by police? A foreigner being killed by insurgents isn't something any nation wants on their resume. I was hoping the police officer only alerted them that a foreigner was on his way. And nothing else.

Then we arrived in Thala. I got out, and one after the other guy greeted me. "Escuse me sir! Police!" I looked at them. Three guys. Two plain clothes and one in uniform. They wanted to see my passport. I gave it to one of the guys. He checked it thoroughly. Then called someone. "Need to check papers! No worries!" he said. A few minutes later, a car pulled into the station and three guys jumped out. "That is police chief!" he told me. They started discussing while the chief was on the phone. So now I was surrounded by 6 guys. Checking papers or interviewing me. They wanted to know where I was staying in Thala. I showed them my hotel key from Sbeitla and said that I was going back. After a while, they were satisfied. The police chief and his guys left. And the guy who was holding my passport started speaking to me in french. I didn't understand much, but from the wording, and how he acted, I understood. He was pleading me NOT to stay, and just go right back to Sbeitla. He took me to a louage that was going to Kasserine. "Dangerous! Thala dangerous!" He showed me a "rifle" sign. "Please! Thala dangerous!"

I was saddened. I really wanted to come here and look around. But when the police urges you to leave, I guess I should take the hint. So in the end, I got on the louage and waited till it left. I took some pictures from the louage station and on the way back down to Kasserine. It was a beautiful scenery. 

Louage station from inside the minibus

I jumped outside and snapped this photo of the town

The street outside the station when we drove off

 

Beautiful scenery on our way down from Thala

Hopefully, the situation in the neighbouring countries will improve, and people can go to Thala without being begged to leave.

Ragnar

On a louage to Sbeitla

 Yesterday, I walked onto the balcony outside my room, and looked at the sky. It was beautiful, end I loved standing there for a while. Enjoying the breeze, hearing the singing from the minarets. And contemplating on my journey so far. Dreaming away. And then I saw the following image present itself before me.

It was a perfect ending to my stay in Tozeur. I went to bed afterwards. Nothing more to add. And besides, I needed to get to bed early. I had an early start today.

I had talked to the young woman minding the reception, but she seemed more interested in her phone than in my request for a taxi the following morning. She understodd english well, but seemed like she didn't care much. "No problem!" she said after I asked her several times if she understood. 

I got up at 6 and my taxi was supposed to arrive at 7. I had a shower and a breakfast, and was ready to go 10 to 7. This morning, there was an elderly guy there. "You wanted a taxi at 7 no?" I nodded. "The girl yesterday never called the taxi. I will do it now". I was glad I always prepare for these types of events. I had plenty time. My bus wasn't leaving until 8. And it was just a 5 minute drive. So I just thought "of course she didn't" and sat down. He called the taxi for me and came over to ask me where I was going. I told him my plans, and he said "try the louage". "The what?" After som explanation, I understood what he was talking about. It is a mix between minibus and maxi-taxi. They go when they have enough passengers. And it is much quicker than bus. I thanked him for the info as my taxi arrive. A quick dash through backalleys and streets, we arrived at the bus-station. The receptionist said the louage-station was 50 yards away. It was. I found one for "Gafsa". 15 minutes later, the minibus was full. Not typical "Africa-full", where you fear the wheels will come off at the first turn from the overload, but all actual seats where taken. 8 in total. And we zoomed off to Gafsa. We arrived one hour before the bus was supposed to arrive. I was happy.

I Gafsa I would look for a louage either directly to Sbeitla or via Kasserine. But the first order of business was taking care of bodily business. I needed to go, and as I scanned the area, I found the drawing of a man. YESS! I walked over, and was about to enter when the caretaker put his hands up and stopped me. He then opened one of the stalls and looked into the toilet. Seemingly to check that there where no floaters left there by the last customer. He ok'ed it, and let me in. Ah! Station toilets. Never fail to entertain me. The flusher was more a pile of parts, so it obviously didn't work. And there was a bucket for water next to it. For flushing.

I finished my fluid business and left. I assumed he wanted money, and the look on his face and stretched out arm suggested this was correct. I had no idea how much, as there were no signs with an entry fee. So I pulled out a handfull of coins and presented them to him. To let him know he could take the one he wanted. He just stood there and smiled. I put an half dinar in his hand. His hand still stretched. I put another 1 dinar coin on his hand. Still smiling. Hand strecth. I suddenly understood. I put the rest of the coins in his hand. "Merci!" he said and smiled. The price is of course whatever you pull out of your pocket. How silly of me.

I started asking for a louage to Sbeitla. Everyone shook their head. "Kasserine" they all said. I started asking for Kasserine. They all pointed further. In the end, I found the louage for Kasserine. And they were missing one person. So as soon as I got on board, we were off. Perfect!

In Kasserine I found a louage for Sbeitla. And I was closing in on my target. And it wasn't even noon! I was happy. Half an hour later, I got out at the louage station in Sbeitla. I opted to walk the 2.5 km to my hotel. 5 hours of travelling had taken its toll on my feet. They needed to be stretched. And for those of you wandering, how much did it cost? 16 dinars in total. Or a little over 5 US dollars. For the whole trip. About 1 dollar per hour. I won't cry myself to sleep over such a price...

On my way to the hotel, I walked past a wall where I saw a very familiar name sprayed on it. AWWW! You shouldn't have! How did you guys know I would be here? That is so sweet! Now I really felt welcome!

After checking in, I had a quick nap before I got out and about. Since I arrived several hours earlier than anticipated, I had time to check out the site I came here for. The acheological park. A huge area with a more or less complete roman city. Most of it was of course gone, with only a few posts here and there left. And a number of mosaics. That is what happens after 2000 years of decay. And the locals needing cheap building materials...

At the entrance was a smiling and multi-lingual guy. He told me that tickets were sold across the street. Hm. Interesting. They had a small info-building there where they sold the tickes. I bought one, and crossed the street again. Like I have already written, the area was HUGE! And I spent almost two hours wandering around the actual streets of the city. Walking into houses (sans roof...), across courtyards. The public cistern. Villas. Small houses. And the most intact of all, the temple. I tried to imagine how it was back then. Bustling life in the street. Horses, people. Shops. If you are ever in the neighborhood, stop by. It is well worth a visit. Trying to capture the area in photos is not possible for me. You have to experience it yourself. But here are some that hopefully gives some impression.

Since I finished what I came for today, I will head further into the mountain tomorrow. Instead of a short trip, I will make it a longer day trip. I hope. 

Tomorrow i Sunday, and a small outing into the mountain sounds like the ticket.

Ragnar

Lounging in the louage.